1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of coaxial cable connectors, and more particularly to the field of apparatus for securing the outer conductor of the coaxial cable to a connector.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional coaxial connectors employ a fairly complicated apparatus for attaching the outer conductor of the coaxial cable to the connector. Typically, a stop nut, a first washer, a gasket, a second washer, and a hollow ferrule are passed over the prepared end of the cable. The outer conductor is then folded back over the slanted front face of the ferrule. This requires that the tubular outer conductor be folded through an angle greater than 90.degree.. A washer having a slanted rear face is then placed over the cable so that the slanted face is against the folded-back portion of the outer conductor. The entire assembly is then inserted into the connector body and placed under a compressional force, so that the outer conductor is squeezed between the ferrule and the slanted washer.
This type of attachment apparatus was designed for use with cables having tubular outer conductors formed from a sheet of solid material or with outer conductors formed from a ribbon of material spiraled around the inner conductor. The outer conductor of a spiraled cable can effectively be folded only transverse of the cable, while a solid shield cannot be folded back over itself without first slitting it in a number of places. This requires an extra step to prepare the cable end and substantially weakens the outer conductor. In the case of a cable having a ribbon of material spiraled around it, it is often impossible to slit the material without severing the ribbon, thereby shortening the outer conductor to a point where it cannot be engaged by the ferrule.
Additionally, the many parts of the apparatus make the securing operation tedious and exacting.